Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Schwarzarbeiter” come from?

Schwarzarbeiter (German) comes from German Schwärz, from Middle High German swarz, from Old High German swarz, from Proto-West Germanic swart, from Proto-Germanic swartaz, from Proto-Indo-European swordo- — dirty, dark, black.

Schwarzarbeiter (German): illicit or illegal worker, clandestine worker,...

Definitions

  1. illicit or illegal worker, clandestine worker,...

Ancestry of “Schwarzarbeiter”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanSchwärz—
2Middle High Germanswarz—
3Old High Germanswarzblack
4Proto-West Germanicswartblack
5Proto-Germanicswartazblack
6Proto-Indo-Europeanswordo-dirty, dark, black
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swordo- →